For more than a week, local commuters who travel north via I-170 or east on I-64 would pass two unusual billboards. The billboards feature a lush and leafy St. Louis Arch standing tall in front of the downtown skyline against a white backdrop.

The mystery ended when Bayer unveiled what's believed to be the first ever Living Billboards adorned with actual crops that include kale, parsley, collards and three varieties of chard - Swiss chard, white stemmed chard and red stemmed chard. The message reads, "St. Louis, lets grow together."

The billboards represent Bayer's commitment to the St. Louis region through a combination of community spirit, agriculture, art and innovation. Additionally, this unique design represents Bayer's commitment to social responsibility. The greens will be harvested at maturity in mid-September and donated to the St. Louis Area Food Bank as part of a larger food contribution by Bayer, to those who are food insecure and lack access to healthy nutritional meals.

In consideration of St. Louis' hot, humid and sometimes dry climate, the billboard's designers worked with plant experts and other consultants to select crops that would be healthy while withstanding extreme weather conditions, grow in a vertical environment and be maintained by a horticulturist. By the way, each billboard has its own built-in irrigation system which recycles drainage water from the crops so that it is reused again to hydrate the plants.